Pam Dudding-Burch Contributing writer
The rumor is out and it is true. Camp Mitchell is finally being reopened for the youth and Craig County! Robin Nobles, an active community member of Craig County seems to have a heart for the youth in Craig and has put her heartfelt effort into trying to renovate Camp Mitchell.
On Tuesday, February 14, Camp Mitchell had its first Teen Valentine’s Dance. This exciting evening was for teens only, ages 13 through High School Seniors. The teens enjoyed the dress code of jeans or Valentine special ‘Valentine’ dress attire. The cost was only $5 per person.
Robin Nobles, David Givens, Jaela Hutton, Kayla Hutchinson and Faye Powers decorated Camp Mitchell with lots of décor for the special evening.
“We had a live D.J., David Givens!” Nobles shared. Givens did not disappoint the teens and cranked up the music to make the evening one to be remembered by many youth. “They were great at requesting songs!” Givens said. “The line dance music seemed to be a hit!”
Also, Givens made sure the evening was ‘lit up’ for today’s teens’ expectations. “We added the special lighting, using my LED par color washes and in particular, the Mega Trix and Hemisphere special effect lights made by Chauvet,” Givens said. “The Hemisphere is a disco ball for today with color changing and strobe effects.” One person commented that the 1970s disco ball had returned! “They made the place look great!” the decorating team shared.
Approximately 40 teens attended and 12 chaperones. “I’m glad the kids my age 13 have somewhere to go to hang out!” Jaela Hutton, a teen who attended shared. She added that she would rate the dance a 7, on a scale of 1 to 10, considering “that was very good for the first dance that was scheduled”.
There was also a snack bar selling pizza, hot dogs, hot pockets, cookies, candy, chips, water and soda. To add to the excitement of the evening, Nobles had drawings for some nice door prizes.
However, the highlight of the evening seemed to be when Officer Andy Beane joined the teens on the dance floor. On one dance, the teens backed up and gave the floor to Officer Beane, as they danced on the ‘sidelines’. “It was a night to remember!” Powers shared. “You could hear the teens just squealing, as well as the adults!”
There is also a new ‘Club Camp Mitchell’ Membership. Nobles shared that the Annual Club Membership cost is $20 per person (ages 6 through 54) for the first year, and ages 5 and under are free with a member. Individuals 55 years and older pay $15. Family memberships are available at a cost of $50 per year for a family of 3 plus $10 for each additional family member.
There are also ‘perks’ to being a member. For example, members received a free soda from the snack bar at the Valentines dance. (More info will be in the New Castle Record in the next couple of weeks.) “The kids had a great time dancing and just being with each other,” Nobles shared. “All the proceeds from this event will go to pay for oil to heat the gym.”
“I hear we are having many more dances in the future!” Hutton exclaimed. “I loved it as it was fun and I am ready to help again!”
“This is the first of many dances to come, but we really needed the kids to show us that they wanted dances by coming to this one,” Nobles said. “This is what we need to keep Camp Mitchell alive!” She added that the community support she had was ‘great’. “I want to send out a big ‘thank you’ to all the adults that helped!”
Nobles shared that the next dance for the kids will be categorized “Middle School and High School” Dance instead of ‘Teen’ Dance. “We are planning 2 dances for March; a kid’s dance and an adult dance for St. Patrick’s Day,” Nobles said.
Information on the upcoming events can be found on the Craig County page, or message Robin Nobles on Facebook. “It’s going to be lots of fun,” she and her new team exclaimed.
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